If there was still any lingering doubt about whether or not the Lions were an improved football team in 2011, it should dissipate now — There will be a ticket price increase in 2012.

The ticket increase, which will see ticket prices increase 7.9% on average for the 2012 season, is the team’s first ticket price increase since after the 2007 season. While suite-seats will be unaffected by the price increase, the Lions season tickets will range somewhere in between $35 and $99 for the 2012 season, with an average ticket price of $72.04.

The Lions had the 28th lowest average ticket price last season.

“It’s a decision we don’t take lightly,” president Tom Lewand said. “But after a lot of consideration and hopefully intelligent thought, for us the focus was on the value proposition and the desire we have to provide a top tier product in the NFL for a mid-level or below investment.”

“It’s been since after the 2007 season that we’ve raised prices and we weren’t going to do that until we had a product we felt merited this kind of increased investment,” Lewand said. “But it becomes a cycle. In order to stay competitive, we have to be able to invest back into the product. And that’s exactly where these dollars go, right back into re-signing our players and keeping the team together.

“Thankfully we have an ownership (the Ford family) that allows us to charge below average prices that provide, hopefully, a well above average product. They give us the resources we need to spend up to and over the (salary) cap every year.” (via Detroit News)

While Lions fans will pay more to see their team in 2012, they will still remain one of the better deals in the NFL — twenty two (22) other teams charged more in 2011 than the Lions average ticket price for the 2012 season.